Education Commons^™

Partners In Graduate Student Retention: A Library-Led Outreach Collaboration, Ashley R. Lierman

Collaborative Librarianship

Past research has indicated that social connection with their community is an important factor in the retention of graduate students. To help address this need, a Rowan University librarian led an interdepartmental team of collaborators from across campus in developing a series of outreach events specifically for graduate students, which evolved over time to include more and richer programming and opportunities for socialization. This article describes the evidence basis for these events’ inception, the essential components of each iteration of the event and its programming, and the results of holding these events, including both their successes and their failures. Recommendations …

Tackling Organizational Equity At Scale, An Academic Library Consortium Responds, Kim Armstrong, Gayle O'Hara, Josie Ragolia, Sarah B. Watstein

Collaborative Librarianship

This article focuses on the myriad ways the Orbis Cascade Alliance, a regional academic library consortium, has responded to the growing and longstanding need to address equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in library spaces and organizations. Specifically, the article highlights a range of initiatives and approaches to advance EDI that the Alliance believes are in the mutual best interest of Alliance staff, its leadership (Board of Directors and Council), collaborative workforce (Teams and Groups), and ultimately, Alliance member libraries and the users they support.

Building A Culture Of Collaboration And Shared Responsibility For Educational Equity Work Through An Inclusive Teaching Community Of Practice, Francesca Marineo, Chelsea Heinbach, Rosan Mitola

Collaborative Librarianship

For libraries to be equitable spaces as educational institutions and places of employment, it is necessary that educational equity be a shared, collaborative goal. Unfortunately, equity and inclusion work in libraries has historically been an individual pursuit that falls disproportionately on the shoulders of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) library workers. Communities of practice employ social learning principles to facilitate praxis and offer opportunities to develop shared goals, language, and responsibility. This article explores how we developed and implemented an inclusive teaching community of practice with members of our instruction department in order to foster a culture of …

Driving Change: A Model For Collaborative Librarianship In Prince George’S County, Maryland, Nicholas A. Brown, Kyla Hanington

Collaborative Librarianship

The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has a long-standing partnership with the county’s human rights education and enforcement agency, the Office of Human Rights (PGCOHR), formerly the Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission (PGCHRC). The two agencies serve over 967,000 Prince Georgians, a majority-Black (64.4%) and Latin or Hispanic (19.5%) population with a sizable immigrant community (22.7%). The civil rights issues of 2020 hit close to home in Prince George’s County and the agencies have sustained a multi-year effort to provide residents with opportunities to learn how to engage with social justice topics for personal and collective advancement. …

Library Community Collective: Advocating For Social Justice Through Community Conversations, Leatrice Goodson, Alanna Aiko Moore, Lia Friedman, Philippe Robles-Fradet, Rachel Almodovar

Collaborative Librarianship

In the wake of the racial violence occurring in the United States in 2020, the UC San Diego (UCSD) Library created a collaborative, non-hierarchical, employee-led group that allowed for a new way of sharing and listening across the organization. The Library Community Collective (LCC) is a collaboration between the Library Community Building Committee and the Library Diversity and Inclusion Committee and has provided an ongoing platform for challenging discourse on topics such as white supremacy, allyship, anti-asian violence, fat phobia and microaggressions. In hopes of providing a model and inspiration for other libraries to pursue similar initiatives, the authors will …

What Collaboration Means To Us: The Sparc Journal Negotiation Community Of Practice, Caitlin Schleicher, Nick Shockey, Greg Tananbaum

Collaborative Librarianship

To assist with creating a more equitable journal negotiations landscape, Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) created the Journal Negotiation Community of Practice. SPARC’s role is focused on both community building and catalyzing discussions as well as disseminating resources. Working closely with libraries, the community is a platform for dialog, sharing data and best practices, and creative problem solving. Collaboration with librarians is integral to the success of current and future journal negotiation community of practice work.

Hathitrust Emergency Temporary Access Service: Reaping The Rewards Of Long-Term Collaboration, Natalie Fulkerson, Sandra Mcintyre, Melissa Stewart

Collaborative Librarianship

On March 31, 2020, HathiTrust launched the Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS). This new offering supports HathiTrust members’ research, teaching and learning mission by providing reading access to in-copyright works held in library print collections, on a temporary basis, during unplanned disruptions to normal operations. HathiTrust conceived, planned, and launched ETAS in less than four weeks by building on existing cooperative structures, including years-long investments in a shared digital collection, a member model that values strong engagement, and a collaborative staffing approach.

What Collaboration Means To Me: Centering Values To Foster A More Diverse, Inclusive, And Equitable Knowledge Ecosystem, Greg Eow

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Embedding Information Literacy Support In A Peer Learning Program: An Exploratory Case Study, Jeffery Verbeem, Lynnette Harper

Collaborative Librarianship

The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate how librarians at a public university in Dubai could support the information literacy of student tutors through collaboration with a peer-to-peer learning assistance program. We sought to understand how peer tutors experience, develop and share their information literacy skills. We conducted workshops to help tutors become more aware of information literacy and to develop their fluency and confidence in applying these skills as students and as tutors. Data was gathered via a survey, a focus group and a quiz. Findings indicated that while there may have been some gains made in …

Working Across Disciplines And Library Units To Develop A Suite Of Systematic Review Services For Researchers, Nedelina Tchangalova, Eileen G. Harrington, Stephanie Ritchie, Sarah Over, Jodi Coalter

Collaborative Librarianship

Since their inception in the health sciences field, systematic reviews have expanded into many other subject disciplines. To address this growing need, subject librarians at the University of Maryland Libraries collaborated on a pilot program in three phases to introduce researchers to the process of conducting systematic and scoping reviews. This article describes the development of various collaborative efforts leading to the implementation of a systematic review service based on participant feedback. Assessment and evaluation techniques are shared to encourage further refinement of the systematic review service.

Seeking An Intentional Crossroads: Working Towards An Understanding Of Community Building In Hawai’I Public Libraries, Vanessa Irvin, Nicholas Cho, Sarah Nakashima

Collaborative Librarianship

Public libraries in Hawai’i serve one of the most diverse populations in the United States. With 51 branch locations across six islands, Hawaii's public libraries are central hubs for citizens, where community building can take place. This paper seeks to explore ways in which community building takes place at public libraries in Hawai’i. Through on-site visits at public libraries, observations of training sessions of participants of a Hawai’i-based public library professional development program (Hui ‘Ekolu), and informal interviews with local public library patrons, key themes, reflections and analysis convey a common question across all groups: “What is a Native Hawaiian …

Ports In A Storm: The Role Of The Public Library In Times Of Crisis, Michele Stricker

Collaborative Librarianship

This article will provide you with guidance on how to prepare your library to respond a disaster, as well as, how to resume providing services to the public as quickly as possible in the aftermath of a local or regional crisis. You will learn how libraries contribute to community resiliency by providing a safe haven and needed services after a disaster that allow people and local businesses to begin to put their shattered lives back together and resume normal activities.

Recent natural and manmade catastrophes have highlighted the important role public libraries play in enhancing their community’s resiliency and post-disaster …

Strategies For Teaching Information Literacy To English Language Learners, Clara Y. Tran, Selenay Aytac

Collaborative Librarianship

Academic librarians are encountering a growing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) every day, as our classrooms have become more linguistically diverse every year. In this dramatically changing environment, academic librarians are expected to meet the needs of increasingly diverse students speaking multiple languages. The purpose of this paper is to present widely used teaching strategies to support ELLs based on an exhaustive literature review. Study also suggests collaboration among ESL or classroom instructors and librarians to enhance semester-long learning experience.

Going Beyond "Learn To Code" In The Library: Partnerships And Resources For Delivering Successful Advanced Technical Training, Jim Craner, Lori Bowen Ayre

Collaborative Librarianship

As more libraries offer "learn to code" and digital skills training programs to patrons of all ages, there is a significant opportunity to offer more sophisticated services for advanced learners, even up to the level of professional workforce development. By partnering with local institutions or online programs, libraries can potentially offer in-house training to their community members who might not be otherwise well-suited for traditional in-person or online training programs. In addition, we've identified a wealth of resources that libraries can use to support self-directed learners and institutional online learners in the community. We also note the critical importance of …

What Collaboration Means To Me: How We Do & Don’T Collaborate At The Library Collective, Corey Halaychik, Ashley Maynor

Collaborative Librarianship

The Library Collective is a non-profit organization devoted to redefining the library professional development landscape by providing low-cost, high-value learning opportunities for librarians. At the heart of The Library Collective’s efforts is a unique style of collaboration. The following column outlines how the Co-Founders and Co-Directors use and don’t use collaboration to create a professional development environment that embraces creativity, celebrates failure, and doesn’t cost a fortune.

Librarians And Esl Instructors As Campus Partners In Collaboration And Alliance Building, Karen Bordonaro

Collaborative Librarianship

Librarians and English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors can be campus partners to improve student learning. This article describes one way for librarians to begin working collaboratively with their ESL instructor counterparts on a university campus. It offers the creation and use of an assessment tool designed to capture ESL students’ library learning as an initial point of collaboration. Following the discussion of the creation and use of this tool, this article then advocates for librarians and ESL instructors to build mutually beneficial alliances between them. These alliances can be based on commonalities and can offer benefits for professionals …

Connecting Individuals With Social Services: The Academic Library's Role, Samantha G. Hines

Collaborative Librarianship

As socioeconomically-disadvantaged people become a core user base for libraries, some libraries have collaborated with non-library workers to connect their user communities with beneficial social services, which ties in with librarianship’s values of promoting social justice and providing for the common good. As public libraries earn attention and kudos for connecting their communities to social services, the question arises as to the role of the academic library in connecting our campus community with resources on services for societal needs. Working with existing campus and community organizations can create many positive networks for our library users, our institutions and our larger …

Academic Libraries And Non-Academic Departments: A Survey And Case Studies On Liaising Outside The Box, Amy Wainwright, Chris Davidson

Collaborative Librarianship

Partnering with non-academic departments allows academic libraries to create new programming ideas and reach more students. According to the results of a national survey, academic librarians at institutions of all sizes are partnering with many different types of non-academic departments. These partnerships offer efficiencies through shared cost and staffing and offer additional benefits to all groups involved. This article identifies the non-academic departments that these libraries are partnering with, highlights potential events to raise awareness of services, and describes ways in which these partnerships help engage with students.

Collaborative Library Outreach: A Key Retention Strategy At Open Access Institutions, Katy Mathuews, Zachary Lewis

Collaborative Librarianship

Serving large populations of at-risk, first-generation, and low-income students, open access institutions face unique challenges regarding student retention. Academic libraries with intentional outreach programs are a valuable element of a comprehensive institutional retention plan targeted to the unique student population of open access institutions. Using the Clark Memorial Library at Shawnee State University in Appalachian Ohio as a case study, this article explores the elements of an intentional library outreach program targeted to support the retention of first-year students, many of whom are classified as first-generation, academically underprepared, or otherwise at-risk. The outreach librarian facilitates collaborative and intentional engagement opportunities …

Leveraging Our Trust: Taking Action In Support Of Our Democracy, Lori Bowen Ayre

Collaborative Librarianship

Librarians need to build on their trusted status to be more actively engaged in activities that support our democratic system whose success relies on having an informed citizenry. These activities including teaching media literacy skills to patrons in the library as well as in the schools in partnership with teachers. In addition, libraries should be facilitating community conversations and promoting a wide variety of community collaborations that get people engaged and out of their isolated bubbles.

Embracing Into: Library Plans And Campus Collaboration To Serve An Increased International Student Population, Shannon L. Farrell, Catherine L. Cranston, Jeffrey Bullington

Collaborative Librarianship

Universities are using private recruitment agencies to fast-track internationalization initiatives and realize tuition-based revenue increases. Colorado State University (CSU), with this dual aim of increasing the proportion of international students on campus and generating income via out-of-state tuition, signed a contract with INTO, a British organization that works to recruit international students to attend partner institutions from countries across five continents. International students, although not a homogenous population, as a whole do bring unique challenges. Our study examined how both campus and the library could prepare for the expected large influx of international students. Seeking to understand the INTO model …

Yo Soy Colorado: Three Collaborative Hispanic Cultural Heritage Initiatives, Beverly B. Allen, Dana Echohawk, Rhonda Gonzales, Fawn-Amber Montoya, Mary M. Somerville

Collaborative Librarianship

Collaborative activities that reflect ‘ethnicity as provenance’ benefit from collaborative, interdependent relationships among archives, classroom, and community. Examples from Center for Colorado & the West at Auraria Library (University of Colorado Denver) and the Southern Colorado Ethnic Heritage and Diversity Archives and the Voices of Protest Oral History Project (Colorado State University-Pueblo) illustrate collection development practices that advance joint ownership of archival materials by the archives and the originating cultural population. Concluding reflections offer transferable principles for working collaboratively with cultural communities on creation, identification, interpretation, and preservation of photographs, videos, documents, oral histories and ephemeral material reflective of culture, …

Review Of International Students And Academic Libraries: Initiatives For Academic Success, Rick Stoddart

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.

Review Of Libraries Got Game: Aligned Learning Through Modern Board Games, Christine Baker

Collaborative Librarianship

No abstract provided.